Glacier Peaks is an RV park and campground near Glacier National Park in northwest Montana. And while our season of operation is mostly limited to spring, summer and fall, during which time we provide clean comfortable campground and RV space rental for travelers who are looking for a quiet and friendly atmosphere to establish as their home base while they are visiting Glacier Park. It would be an awful misconception to assume that the fun and adventure that the area offers for draws to a close in the late fall when the last few leaves fall to the ground. In actuality, nothing could be further from the truth.
Northwest Montana, and the area around Whitefish, Montana in particular is a winter hot spot! There is something fun going on in this area during all four seasons of the year!
Glacier Peaks RV Park is situated in a wonderful location midway between Glacier National Park and Whitefish Montana. Glacier National Park of course speaks for itself…one million plus acres of rugged and pristine beauty, and one of the only places in the contiguous United States where you can still find some amazing things like Grizzly Bear, Canadian Lynx, and living glaciers. Obviously Glacier National Park doesn’t really need to have too many paragraphs from this article dedicated towards singing it’s praise. It’s appeal is obvious.
However, fewer people may be familiar with some of the other amazing activities and attractions that the area provides. Beginning with all of the fun that can be found in and around the town of Whitefish, Montana – a beautiful four season resort just a couple miles down the road from Glacier Peaks RV Park.
Whitefish, Montana is one of those truly spectacular destinations that has something special in store for everyone, regardless of what season it is that you pull into town.
The town of Whitefish is blessed with a list of attractions that most tourist towns only dream of having.
Whitefish Mountain Ski and Summer Resort
The Whitefish Mountain Ski and Summer Resort on Big Mountain, is a recreational playground in both the wintertime and the summer. The resort boasts more than 3000 acres of lift-accessed terrain for downhill skiing and snowboarding throughout the winter. The mountain gets more than 300 inches of snow each year on average and gives skiers and riders a great mix of terrain to choose from, ranging from ‘easy green’ runs to ultra-challenging double black diamond runs. You’ll also find ample opportunities for great tree skiing and bowl skiing.
Whitefish Mountain Resort also hosts a variety of events throughout the winter season. Often times, especially on the weekends, you can find some great apres-ski opportunities in one of the mountain village watering holes like Ed & Mulley’s or the Bierstube which frequently will host live music after the lifts shut down for the evening. Other exciting events that are hosted by the Whitefish Mountain Resort Village during the wintertime include a New Years Eve Rail Jam followed by a torchlight parade down the mountain and a spectacular fireworks display which can be enjoyed both on New Years Eve, and again during the mountains Presidents Day celebration in mid February. The mountain also hosts a number of ski races throughout the year, which the public is welcome to attend and watch.
Night skiing is offered on weekends throughout much of the season, which allows skiers and snowboarders the opportunity to ski under the stars with views looking out over the expansive valley floor where a thousand city lights twinkle across the Flathead Valley. The mountain also hosts several ‘dine and ski’ opportunities during the winter season giving you the chance to ride the chairlift up to the summit under the light of the moon and stars, enjoy a delicious meal at the summit house while you gaze out over the glittering lights of the Flathead Valley below, and then ride the lift back down, or ski down one of the slopes under starlight…an unforgettable experience!
As the season begins to wind down to a close the festivities get even more adventurous. In late march, the mountain hosts the Dummy Derby & Brewfest. An event that encourages creative locals to build the best un-manned Dummy Derby sled to compete head-to-head against others in a wild-and-crazy “dummy race” down the ski slopes. And on closing weekend, the annual pond skim has become a beloved tradition. This crazy event pits costumed contestants against one another in a competition to see who can race down the mountain on ski or snowboard and try to skim across a man-made pond at the bottom of the slope to capture a $1000+ prize.
The Whitefish Mountain Resort is pretty big on adventure during the summer months as well. Starting in mid June and continuing through September, the resort opens it summertime attractions to visitors and locals. Aside from the wildly popular hiking and mountain biking trails that wind throughout the southern and eastern face of the mountain, there are also some great summertime attractions that the entire family will enjoy like the alpine slide, a one-third mile track that carries riders down the mountain while it banks around turns, under bridges, and through a tunnel. There is also an arial adventure park, which is a fun and imaginative obstacle course set in the treetops near the resort village and base lodge. And an impressive 7 Zip-Line tour that zips riders across valley’s and over the tops of forests, some 300 feet in the air, with some zip lines stretching out as far as 1500 ft on a single ride!
The Whitefish Lake
Another one of Whitefish Montana’s prized gems is the Whitefish Lake – a 3,200+ acre lake, right at the edge of town where you can boat, waterski, tube, paddle board, kayak, fish, swim and take part in all of the other activities that make up summer fun at the lake.
In the wintertime you can ice-skate, go cross-country skiing around the lake shore, ice fish, or take part in crazy wintertime celebrations like the ‘penguin plunge’ an annual event where the community carves out a big hole through the ice and a bunch of daring (and a little bit crazy) people from around the area as well as visitors, will volunteer to take the plunge into the icy waters in order to raise money for local charities.
Whitefish Lake Golf Course
If you enjoy golfing, the Flathead Valley is going to be one of your new favorite destinations! There are nearly a dozen beautiful courses stretched across northwest Montana where you can practice your putts and drives. But one of the finest of the options is the Whitefish Golf Course located right in the town of Whitefish. This is the only 36-hole golf course located in northwest Montana, and it is a course that is as fun and challenging as it is beautiful. The course is split into an 18-hole north course and an 18-hole south course. Either course can be played as either 9 or 18 holes and each course provides quite a different playing style and experience than the other.
The north course has more of a ‘parkland design’ to it, reminiscent of the 1930’s. The course sits above the Whitefish Lake and provides some stunning views of the lake and the Whitefish Mountain Resort.
The south course is more of a ‘shot makers’ course with some big, long fairways and some interesting sand traps and water hazards to make the game fun and interesting. The south course winds its way south, and down along ‘Lost Coon Lake’ for a few holes before it makes a u-turn back to the north and returns players back to the clubhouse. The south course also offers some stunning panoramas of the the surrounding mountains including the picturesque ski-slopes of the Whitefish Mountain Resort, which are quite lovely in both summertime and winter.
And speaking of winter, the Whitefish Lake Golf Course transforms into a cross-country ski course during the winter months, providing several miles of spectacular track for nordic ski enthusiasts to get out and enjoy the beauty and grandeur of Whitefish in the wintertime.
Whitefish is also the home of the Stumptown Ice Den which is a fully enclosed professional ice rink where you can enjoy watching ice hockey or figure skating as a spectator, or strap on your own set of blades for some freestyle skating during public skating hours.
Whitefish is certainly a fun place to be regardless of the time of year that you come for a visit to northwest Montana.
We at Glacier Peaks RV Park and Campground certainly don’t take it for granted how blessed we are to be situated right in-between two of northwest Montana’s most popular year-round destination attractions, Glacier National Park and Whitefish Montana. If you happen to be planning your vacation up here to our neck of the woods in the spring, summer or autumn, then I encourage you to give us a call and book your stay with us. We provide more than 60 RV spaces including many pull-through sites that can accommodate rigs up to 60-ft in length. And we also have ample space for tent camping. In addition, we offer several very comfortable and economical sleeper cabins that can accommodate up to 8 people, and a Deluxe Cabin complete with a kitchen, private bath and breakfast nook. You can learn more about our available accommodations by visiting our website at http://www.GlacierPeaksRVPark.com and you can call and book your stay with us, and learn about all of the fantastic adventures and opportunities that the area provides by dialing 406-892-2133.
If your travel plans happen to be bringing you up to the area in the winter months. I’m sorry, our campground is closed, but you are still welcome to stop by and see what we offer, and make plans to come back and visit us in the spring, summer or fall! Hopefully this article has helped to illustrate the fact that we love what we do and we love where we live, and we would be honored to be your hosts for your next adventure to northwest Montana…a place where the fun and adventure never stops!
